Return of the Emblem Chapter Fourteen: Fight

[Nanami Touko]

"<Ahhhhhhh, Angelica... You really didn't have to go that far.>" She covered part of her face again to avoid seeing anything Thales wanted to keep private, walking over to Angelica and staring her down with a pout. "That really wasn't very nice, you know? He didn't know, and he didn't even call you it. I know you're gonna say this is cutting him some slack if I ask you to do that, but still." Eva frowned and sighed, looking back at Thales, now covering himself with his tunic. "Hey, do you need any help there?"

Angelica went on to put on her magic show, with another vague... Threat? She didn't really know what to call it. She was being incredibly cheeky though! "She's a wind mage... And a really good one. She can pretty much fly, do whatever she wants with air, use it to empower her arms and legs. It's really unfair, honestly! But that's all there is to it. Just come to me if she keeps bullying you, I can handle her. Mostly. Now uh, did you need help, or should I call Lumi over instead? She might enjoy the sight." Even Eva couldn't help but giggle at that, surprised that Thales had that much hair hiding in his braid.

[Xinnidy]

Thales just stared intently as the mage continued displaying her confidence and threatening him, picking up a rock and slicing it in the air like nothing. He tried to not make it show, but he backed up an inch while the 'trick' happened. So she not only knew to sass back, she was pretty good at magic too. He was jealous, but there's no way he was going to admit it. What a cow.

Eva's explanation of how a wind mage did things only made him more jealous. He sighed. "I-I'm fine, I could use a belt, that's about it." The mention of calling Lumi didn't help any, the boy shaking his head strongly, "Please don't call anyone else..."

"Well, you kinda ruined my hair and my pants." Thales considered sticking out his tongue in a childish comeback, but it was probably not worth it. He was embarrassed enough. "You should at least buy me a new pair of clothes to make it up."

Edited September 28, 2016 by Xinnidy

[Ether]

<"I didn't go that far at all. Eva, you of all people should understand what I'm like when I'm serious, and that wasn't it.>" Angelica replied, stopping after a few moments. Great... well, better move on from that then.

"I only cut a few holes off of your belt. That's hardly grounds for buying you a whole new outfit. Just do be mindful to heed warnings when you're given them, in the future." Angelica replied with a light grin.

"Tell you what, if you want to make up, when we're settled on a boat, how about I do your hair? I could give you a perm and do your makeup." The adept teased, giggling for a moment before becoming a bit more serious.

"In seriousness though, you've got a pretty slim waist, I'm sure I can wrangle up a replacement belt if need be. But if you're gonna be joining up with us, trust me on this... when someone tells you to be careful, be careful."

Edited September 28, 2016 by Ether

[Xinnidy]

"Hmph!" Thales pouted. Angelica knew better than to just buy him free stuff for a small grieving, and still had the gall to snark back at him for it! He couldn't help sticking out his tongue now, just for a fraction of a second. He knew not to push it now.

"I think I'll pass on makeup session, I keep my hair tied because it's too much hassle otherwise." He shook his head, pulling up his pants, at least to cover his legs. "But cutting it short? Sacrilege. I just don't feel right without some weight on my head. Did it once, never again." He was actually proud of the hair, from his tone.

"I get it. No calling nicknames, just Angelica." He repeated, knowing better about the dos and don'ts of the group now, probably. His predicament was still embarrassing, though. "I'll take whatever belt you get, then. No hard feelings, right~?"

[Phoenix]

Wagon Accommodation

"Yeah," Greta said, looking like she wasn't all there, "the ship the wagon's gonna be on is over there I think," she pointed north.

"The one with the gold plates," Nong said, also pointing in that direction. His ship might be able to accommodate the wagon, but his ship wasn't a vehicle transport, far from it. There weren't a lot of places to secure vehicles without damaging the main deck with nails and the like.

Sense

It took Shadrak all of thirty seconds to reach the pier. Once he got there, he knew his idle thinking time was going to have to wait. This close to the water, he could just barely feel something, some kind of magic. He knelt down right at the edge of the pier, trying to see beneath the surface of the water. It was too dark, even in broad daylight, and he couldn't see deep enough to confirm anything. He leaned closer and closer to the edge, adjusting his head and stance to counter the ebb and flow of the water and see past it all. "What is that ...?" He squinted his eyes, trying to get rid of the excess sunlight. Was he just seeing things? Was it a trick of the light?

Shadrak yelped and nearly fell into the water as he felt something touch his shoulder. The next thing he knew, he was getting a face full of rigid flight feathers as a raven flailed to right itself on his shoulder. The raven cocked its head at Shadrak, and the druid noticed its eerie looking eyes. "N-Naoki? When? ... hmm" He stood up, looking back at the water. "Well, even if there is something out there, I can't see anything clearly ..." He glanced back at the silent bird on his shoulder. "Welcome back," he smiled an apology. He really shouldn't have freaked out over something so minor.

Another Regalia

Captain Gram looked up from his desk, past all the other fleet officers present, and to Edith, who had once again invited herself in. At least she only did so when it was urgent or at least important. She'd given them her report, and though they already knew about the scout encounter, a first hand account was always welcome. Her request, though ... he had a bad feeling about it. "I'm listening, Edith. What is it?" She looked nervous, which was almost alarming to Gram.

"If the Basilisk shows itself here, sir," she began, her features twisting in discomfort. Was she really going to ask? She supposed she had to. It was the best way to keep their casualties to a minimum ... though it would also put her on the map, again. "I'd like permission to use my strongest weapon, sir. At full power. That should be enough for us to win handily."

Now Captain Gram was alarmed. "Are you serious?" The other officers looked confused, save for one. He eyed the captain curiously. "We have plenty of reinforcements on the way. We shouldn't have to resort to anything like that."

Edith looked so uncomfortable, Gram was tempted to just give into her request and be done with it. "Captain, you said the imperials are throwing their new toy at us and it's doing a lot of damage to our forces. The more people gathered to fight them off, the more of them are going to die, but I can destroy that ship if I can get close enough." Pleading felt awful, but she'd had time to consider how bloody this battle was going to be and the thought of Captain Gram dying got her thinking about the Ursian casualties in general. She'd rather counter the Basilisk with an even more powerful weapon, even if it meant her life going forward was going to be a nightmare.

"Captain what is this weapon you're trying to keep hidden?" the curious officer asked.

Gram's gaze wandered over to him in grim anticipation. "It's not a secret, not exactly, but we've been trying to keep this from reaching certain ears. I trust you all know the stories about the first war between Ursium and Kigen. Those were times when the Maas royal family ruled. They possessed a powerful runic lance created by the gods. It was never used in any recorded battles, so most people don't know anything about it. It was more of a regalia they used to ensure the Maas bloodline continued, a powerful runic system that could discern members of the family. Each Maas King held the lance up until the Shastaks came to power."

Edith cringed and kept her eyes on the floor. This was it. After today she would have to go right back to being protected by everyone else.

"They thought the weapon was broken in the regime change, but realized what was really going on when Edith tried to steal the pieces from storage in the Museum it was being kept in." Gram gave Edith one last look of pity, "... it works just fine in her hands ... which makes her a direct descendant of King Maas; take your pick. Allies of the Shastaks have occasionally killed off anyone thought to still be loyal to or related to the Maas family, the eastern nobility in particular, but they didn't know that special lance was still functional or they might have reconsidered. There was plenty of debate regarding Edith and that lance, but ultimately it was decided she would continue to serve in the navy. Better to have a special weapon on standby than a relic in a museum."

There was murmuring for a time, and Edith barely managed to compose herself by the end of it. "If she uses that lance," Gram continued, "we might be able to take out the Basilisk ... maybe. No one knows what it's capable of when all of that stored energy is released. I'm just worried what Edith's newfound fame might lead to in the long run ..."

"It's better than half of us getting killed trying to fight this thing conventionally," Edith bit out.

Gram sighed. "For the moment I have to agree. Our main reinforcements probably won't get here until after the battle's well underway, though the King's Brand is on standby just out of sight. Alright, Edith. If you're willing to accept whatever comes next, go and retrieve the lance from the hold."

Edith saluted him and turned to leave. ... tear apart the cosmos ... destroy their whole world ... Those were the words she used when she first used the lance in combat. She could remember it so clearly. The fear that had gripped her was starting to fade, replaced with pride. She was about to cripple an imperial invasion force. This Basilisk 'battle ship' would be dead on arrival if she had her way. Whatever the public thought of her lineage, after this, she would be lauded as a hero. She chose to focus on that eventuality first and foremost.

[Snike]

Greta seemed a little shaken by something. Seasickness? It didn't matter much though, since both her and the Kigenese man- probably the captain- pointed Pete north, towards a ship with golden plates.

"Thanks," Pete said, nodding to the two of them before turning to his right and beginning to jog back towards the wagon. After all, this wasn't something that could be taken in stride.

[Nanami Touko]

"Serious or not, it's not really fair to him to get on him just for asking, Angy," Eva taunted while sticking out her tongue, not exactly appreciating what Angelica had done, and wanting to test the waters on names that weren't Angel. She'd probably get something, or a threat for later, considering how many guards were hanging around. If Angelica attracted their attention with a bigger display of magic, Eva wasn't taking responsibility for her being unable to delay a retort!

Meanwhile, poor Thales. She sighed, smiling, offering him a hand up. "We'll get you a new belt. Dunno about your hair, though. Seems like that's something you'll need to grow back on our own, heh."

[Xinnidy]

Smirking at the temporary support he was receiving from Eva for this argument, Thales gracefully accepted her hand so he could lift himself up --as gracefully as he could with his off-hand constantly making sure his pants wouldn't fall again, anyways. "Thanks, it's nice to see some remorse over another's pants around here." He winked at the mage, "I'll handle my hair. It was a bit early for a haircut, but oh well~." He shrugged at the comment, retrieving his hand to run through the messy locks. "I keep it all tied up, anyways. Most people don't even realize it's this much, sometimes even I forget."

Things were finally going his way... were they?

Edited October 1, 2016 by Xinnidy

[Phoenix]

Trouble On the Horizon

Amon was beginning to worry that it was only a matter of time until a patrol wandered by and, drawn by Isis' unusual size, came to investigate them. That worry left him in an instant when he caught sight of something in the air to the south. He thought it was a massive flock of birds, forming a kind of gray haze in the distance, but they were too far away, and there were just too many of them for that to be the case. Amon could only watch as they drew closer and closer. New shapes began to appear over the horizon, ships, and dozens of them.

"It's a Neviskotian invasion," he breathed.

Haythem and Malik had noticed them, too, and joined Amon. "If those are Neviskotians," Malik winced, "then we might want to risk heading into town." He looked north toward Urquium and the numerous ships taking up defensive positions near the harbor. "It's way too late to warn them, but we don't want to get separated for good in a battle this large."

"Yeah," Haythem partly agreed, "but if they overreact to Isis and Sasha, or recognize Joanna, we're going to have other problems on top of this battle."

Amon considered both viewpoints, and quickly took something of a third option. "We'll keep the wyverns with us. Liam can look after Joanna. They should rejoin the others. Even if they do find out it's her, they're not going to try to arrest her in the middle of a battle. They'll need all the healers they can get. That should at least give her some time."

Malik sighed. "I'll give them the bad news," he said, turning from Amon and Haythem. He paused. "Do either of you know how to ride Sasha? Will he even let anyone?"

"We'll figure something out," Amon grimaced.

Birthright

Edith could hear alarm bells above her as she stepped into the holds. There was no one else around, unsurprisingly. They were likely getting to their battle stations before the first shots were fired. Edith made her way to a room built into the ship's hold, opened the door and ventured inside. It was pitch black with no candles or runes lit, but she didn't need her eyes just yet.

"Here," she sighed, running her hand over a large rectangular case. Its surface bore a number of decorative engravings. She pulled the case out and out of the room, sitting it down in the dimly lit hold before plopping down in front of it. She opened the case and smiled at the contents. "It's been a while, you." In front of her lay a four piece set: There was a long hilt with a large decorative hand guard, and three pillar shaped blocks, all slightly different sizes. The hilt had the unmistakable profile of a jousting lance, but had no pointed end to speak of. Instead there was a socket inside the guard that at a glance, appeared to be the right fit for the largest of the pillar-esque blocks it came with. The blocks themselves had tracks running up them, all perfectly parallel, though they couldn't be fitted together, as their centers jutted outward at each end. The center of each block had a hole running from end to end. The smallest was the exception; it not only had only one hole on the bottom half, but was quite sharp on its upper end, and would make a fine spearhead if it could be connected to a shaft. All in all, it was an attractive, but ultimately unusable weapon in its current state. Edith knew better than to write off her birthright, though, not after what she'd discovered. Not after what she'd pulled off all on her own.

The eager pegasus rider held out her hand and the three blocks began to glow faintly, each a different color, as they lifted themselves from the open case. The smallest gave off a whitish yellow light, while the center gave Edith's clothing a violet tint. The largest of the blocks, the only one that seemed capable of being fitted to the hilt, glowed orange. All three of them encircled Edith as she took the hilt and rose to her feet. "Okay ... I'm ready."

She tightened her grip on the hilt, and the three blocks instantly moved into position. The largest block secured itself into the hilt, giving off a small but intense flash from the crevices as it locked into place. The very tip of the center block seemed to fuse with the top of the largest block next, creating another brief flash. The now tip of the spear moved into place just as the second block had, and completed the ancient Maas weapon with one final flash. With all four pieces locked together, the individual glow of each part became a uniform crimson. "There's no weapon those imperials have that's stronger than this. You were created by the gods, and that's all there is to it."

The Pressure is On

As luck would have it, Lexi appeared to be on her way back. She wasn't hard to spot at a distance, and Greta caught her heading south along the docks. "There she is! I'll go get her so we can figure out this passage issue." Just as she started running, the sound of alarm bells from all directions stunned her. The Ursian naval forces were preparing for battle, and were at maximum alert. Looking around, she could see why. It was hard to tell for certain, but there was either a storm cloud rolling in from the south, or literally thousands of wyvern riders about to come down on them. Was there still enough time to figure all of this out? Greta wasn't going to risk wasting what precious time they had left, and took off down the loading ramp to intercept Lexi.

"Oh," Nong frowned, "this is going to be much worse than I feared. It seems like they plan to take Urquium in a single push." Given their numbers, and the lack thereof on Ursium's side, that was the likely outcome.

Lexi spotted Greta before the two women actually spoke, and waved to her, stopping a short ways ahead of the merchant. "Everything's set on my end. How'd things go with Nong?" she smiled confidently.

"We're doin' good," Greta forced a smile, "but you'll have to get the details from him. Whatever we've got to pay we'll figure it out on the way. Right now, I've gotta get the wagon onto your ship. Is your crew ready to help?"

Lexi had to give that some thought. Maybe it was time to let Greta in on the important part of her plan. Her smile suddenly seemed just as forced as Greta's. "Yeah they can help, but I should warn you, my plan to get past the blockade's dangerous. I signed up with the Ursian fleet, so my ship's gonna be on the front line or close enough for a while. She's tougher than she looks but if they rake the deck, I might owe you instead of the other way around, heheh."

"... Merz," was all Greta could manage at first, "why the heck are you gettin' involved in the battle? Can't we just wait for an opening and slip through?"

Lexi shrugged. "If we go north, sure, but that's the opposite direction," she noted. "We have to fight through the 'skotian fleet to escape so we might as well make sure the Ursians let us to the front."

"What about Nong's ship?" Greta asked, nudging her head in the direction of the Emi Maru.

"He can just follow right behind us. The wind won't be an issue so as long as he stays close they won't be able to cut him off, and they're not gonna waste time shooting at merchants. I know it's risky, Greta, but trust me. Everything'll work out. It always does."

She didn't have time to come up with a new plan, anyway, Greta realized. "Just talk to Nong, please," she pleaded this time. She immediately took off running, again, this time after Pete and the others.

Limitations

The bells sounding off around the docks were driving Shadrak crazy. He had no idea how Naoki was putting up with all the commotion. Maybe the bird would start acting up once cannons started firing. Shadrak knew for certain he wouldn't be able to do much more than cover his ears and hope at that point. He made his way back toward the wagon in the hope the sudden ruckus wouldn't some how lead him to being separated from them. As he drew closer, though, just before a building began to obscure his view, he saw them.

"Is that ... a flock of riders?" Shadrak took a step back, bringing the impending disaster back into full view. "Even we can't muscle our way through all of that. How are we going to get to Kigen, now?" It was likely going to be the hard way.

In Lieu of Sleep

Any hope Glen had of catching up on his sleep anytime soon was gone now that bells were ringing nonstop. They weren't unbearably loud at this distance, but he'd never be able to sleep through them, so he started pacing around, waiting for something about the situation to change. They weren't moving yet, and several people were missing, which probably meant he wouldn't have anything to do in lieu of resting for the time being. Alas.

Minding the Shop

The guardsmen hadn't left yet. They looked over at Nena as she dutifully attended the kiosk, probably wondering what she was thinking with not even potential customers in sight. She wanted so badly to prove them wrong, but there really wasn't anyone around to make a sales pitch to ... save for the guards themselves. That wouldn't go over too well, she realized.

After a few more minutes of the small cluster chatting about her, she took her concerns, rolled them up into a ball, and chucked them right at the soldiers. "Hey," she called over, "you're literally driving off my business. Are you going to buy something or just keep loitering?"

"The nerve of this one ..." said the man that had spoken with her earlier.

"You said you might buy something," one of his fellows teased him.

The guardsman gently bopped himself on the visor. "You're right, I did, didn't I? I guess I'll go over th--shut your face," he snapped, "I was trying to be thoughtful but that girl's such a pain."

Nena didn't expect them to react positively, so she didn't say anything else to them. Instead, she kept her eye out for others still wandering the area. No one else but other guards were in sight, though. Nena wondered if Marcus would ever make it back, or if he would wind up getting herded to a safer area by the guards. Given he couldn't walk without his crutches right now--her own fault, and the reason she was running the store, she reminded herself--Marcus probably wasn't going to be able to make his way here.

Edited October 3, 2016 by Phoenix

[Snike]

As soon as the bells began to ring, Pete began to outright run back towards the wagon, knowing that the navy was in full alert.

"Our ship's to the north," he said as he arrived, pointing back towards the direction he had come from. "We have to move it, before the battle starts."

Edited October 3, 2016 by Snike

[Dandragon]

And thus, as if on cue, everything bad happened. Well, maybe not everything. In the distance, Mavis could see the grey dots slowly growing into riders. Invading riders. And soon, the bells rang indicating it was time to fight.

"Well, there goes that peace. Oh well," Mavis sighed, rotating her arm by her shoulder, hearing the satisfying crack of loosening muscles. "I needed a warm up anyways. Now...Where are you gonna land?" She said to herself, out loud, looking towards the sky carefully. Like hell she was going to miss any chance to practice.

[Ether]

Within moments of Eva's taunt, Angelica donned a false smile, moved over slightly, and gave the rider a firm smack on the read end, leaving her hand to linger for a moment.

"I have plenty of remorse over pants. Hers though, not yours." The adept replied, giving Eva an affectionate squeeze as she smirked at the Neviskotian.

"And I'm perfectly willing to move past all this with him, poke a little fun in retort... little more than a harmless prank. You though, you're testing me~ You're mocking me~" Angelica continued, still holding her smirk as she pulled herself close to Eva, immediately attacking the rider's neck with her lips, swiftly leaving a hickey on her exposed skin.

"You don't get off so easy, Evangeline~"

Edited October 3, 2016 by Ether

[Nanami Touko]

"Ah!" Eva flinched, having expected the rebuttal, though not so soon, and in front of Thales. She didn't push her off though, giggling instead, laughing a bit more as she tickled her neck with her hickey, finally gently shoving at her. "Thales, run, she's vicious~ Get away before she gets you too~" Eva blushed, glancing up towards the sky, and--

"Ah... M-Might have to save that for another time, Angelica... Those aren't birds on the horizon. We should really get to our ship." This time, she did actually push Angelica off of her, frowning. Why are you all starting this now...? She sighed.

"Your belt's going to have to wait too, Thales. Sorry. Come on." Pete had pointed them in the direction of their boat, so she started off that way, hoping Haythem and co. were able to get Sasha moving alone.

[Xinnidy]

Well, Eva --full name Evangeline, if he was following properly-- got a bit of a physical response from her retort. Honestly, Thales could feel the pain from how loud it was, retreating a hand to cover his own rear before anyone had some funny ideas. That poor butt... His face cringed for a fraction of a second.

"Hmph." Aside from a small retort, the mage had completely lost herself teasing the tall rider. "I'm right here, you know?" He pouted again. Thales had nothing against it, it certainly wasn't like what he saw disgusted him, but it definitely seemed like things had derailed. That wouldn't do! "I'd like that belt sooner than later..."

Things changed in tone very quickly as the wyvern rider spotted something up in the sky, Thales followed her motion to see the same, massive flock of... Wyverns? Even more of them now? Holy-- "Shit." He wasn't counting himself lucky anymore, unless they could get to cover in time. Luckily the man that came out of the wagon before seemed to be back with good news --well, as much good news as a boat was in this predicament--.

"Great, let's get out of he-- Wait? Come on, how am I supposed to walk like that?!" He was still holding his pants up, frowning at his predicament. "I'm not going to enter a ship full of new people like this!"

[Ether]

"Well, so much for that... I suppose we should get to the boat..." Angelica replied with a sigh, stepping next to Eva as she was detached from her embrace, giggling at Thales' response to it all.

"Yes, I know you're there. You sound like that's some kind of problem." The adept followed up with a wink, about to follow after Eva before Thales brought his predicament up again. Sighing and pulling out a length of cloth from the stash she had purchased, a wind blade swiftly made a clean cut along it's length.

"Slip that through your belt loops and tie it, it'll do for now. Honestly, how loose pants do you wear that you can't take a step without them falling to your ankles?"

[Xinnidy]

For once, Thales didn't know how to react at first, looking away from the adept, the slightest bit red in the face. "Yeah, yeah... long as you don't start charging for it." His own retort came a bit slower and weaker than he hoped. It was probably worth dropping before she really had him.

As for the makeshift piece of leather, Thales accepted it gracefully. He didn't bother answering back though -- Angelica was right, he was just trying to get something back for the 'harmless prank' she pulled on him. It wouldn't be that easy, Angelica was fairly witty on her own. Eva cared a bit more, but she was gone now. Maybe he could take advantage of her good will later. "Thanks." Rather unceremoniously, Thales tied his pants back up with the leather strip.

"We should go now, right?" His hair was still flowing way too freely for his liking... but that would have to wait. Braiding took time!

[Ether]

"Unless you want to get caught in the crossfire and find a blade in your gut or up your ass, we probably should, yeah. And don't worry about the charge, well, unless you willingly drop your pants, next time." Angelica replied, starting off after Eva after Thales had gotten himself ready to move.

[scorri]

Lumi had gotten distracted, having gone to find Star who she had sent with the wagon. Hearing the commotion, she turned and spotted the cloud of wyverns and frowned. Pulling herself onto Star's back, she called out to Thales, "Hey, want a ride?" She rode up next to him and held a hand out.

Hoshi looked at the way Greta was heading and then back at Nong. "Do you mind if I stay on your ship as well? I would like to talk with Canaan more at some point." She wasn't sure if she should wait until after the battle or not, but figured she should ask now rather than just make an assumption.

[Xinnidy]

Angelica had no reservations being crass if she wanted to, she kind of reminded Thales of his old gang members. Always a handful when prodded the wrong way, hmm. Figuring it was better to keep quiet for now, he uttered no more words as he followed.

"...Huh? You ride a pegasus, Lumi?" Thales looked back towards the voice, brushing some hair behind his shoulders and meeting eyes with the creature. These were more common to him than the wyverns he discussed about earlier, and he had less reservations about their nature... but he'd never rode one before, let alone knew what it was to fly. "Uh... Huh." Well, there was a first time for everything, right?

"Sure, why not?" He took the rider's hand, a bit hesitant as to the steed's reaction. Hopefully this isn't a picky one... Pulling himself up onto the pegasus' back, behind Lumi, Thales looked down at the creature's wings. "Huh... it takes getting on top of one to really wonder how it can just fly like that."

[Nanami Touko]

[spoiler=Boat Ride]

One week Ago...

Well... That hadn't been the worst experience of her life! Was it easy to sneak on board? Not exactly. Was it easy to stay hidden among the crates now? Yeah! And that meant a free ride out of this forsaken hell hole! Wrath be damned, Kigen wasn't going to see Haruhi Akiyama for another day and she couldn't stop smiling. <Seventeen long years, and I never have to come back! Not yet, anyways. Gotta make a name for myself so my dad'll be pleased. Then I can come back and prove him wrong! Daughters are good for more than just marrying off!>

Of course, she'd thought this journey easy until the ship started the move, the waves smushing her up against boxes as they rolled, making her small space even smaller... Oh, enough of it! No one else was going to come down into the hold, so just...! She pulled herself out of her small hole, sitting on top of one of the crates and sighing. Damn, it was really dark in here... She hadn't gotten a good look at things when she'd first climbed in, but she wasn't going to get one now... And it wasn't like a flux spell was going to brighten the place up. <Maybe I should've picked up light magic... Har de har... Wait what's...?>

Across the hold from her was... A-A human shape...? She couldn't tell, but she froze upon spying... Them. She couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman, either, but... Something felt off. <Well, it's... Better to call out now and face getting caught, right? R-Right? Uhh...> "<H-Hello?>" A chill ran up her spine. Something about this person felt... Eerie. <Maybe this boat wasn't my brightest idea...>

<"... Jun?"> a voice came from the dark figure, a male, young but low pitched, and accompanied by a faint guttural sound. <"No ... not Jun,"> he said, having found the answer for himself. <"Who are you?"> The figure made no move toward Haruhi, though something else near him seemed to be stirring.

<Wrong boat. Wrong boat, wrong boat, wrong boat!> What was this 'man'? Had it just been the deep voice, she would've been fine, probably, but the guttural noise, the stirring in the darkness, he... He wasn't normal. Haruhi declined getting closer to find out why.

"<I'm... Just a s-stowaway... My name is Haruhi.>" That was plenty good enough, right? No, probably not... "<I really needed to get out of Kigen, a-and... Your boat seemed sturdy enough to make the voyage without issue. Please... Don't tell anyone I'm in here...?>"

<"... stow ... away,"> the voice repeated the words, as if saying them for the first time. The man stood up, and as he did, a long snake-like shadow appeared behind him. His head was just a few feet shy of the hold's ceiling. His long legs and jagged feet, though difficult to see, clearly didn't belong on a human. <"What is that?">

As the man... Or whatever he was, stood up, Haruhi immediately regretted everything. <This is why your parents always told you never to speak to strangers... Or to sneak into boats. What the fuck is he? That can't be human... Is he a demon? Like the fallen?>

Too many questions, not enough time to answer them. Not enough time to save herself from this situation either. If the monster could smell fear, Haruhi reeked. "<A-A stow away... Like... Y-Y'know, someone that gets into something... Illegally. Please d-don't hurt me, really I just... Wanted passage out of Kigen. That's all, I promise. L-Listen, uh... What are you?>"

Maybe if she could pull his attention away from her breaking into their boat, he'd let her off, at least for the moment. "<Are you, like... A lizard... Guy?>" She tried to play it cool, but she was shaking, eyeing the upper deck if things got dire.

The man seemed to freeze momentarily, and then lowered himself back onto the floor. <"No. Don't want to hurt you. Tired of killing. Also ... tired,"> he added, not sure how to clearly convey his meaning. His shoulders slumped. He sighed as old memories sprung unbidden to his mind. He brought one of his thick, claw endowed hands up to his face, though it was unclear what he was doing.

He listened to her following question and pondered it as he wrestled down the invasive images. <"Demon,"> he answered her, <"... tired demon.">

<Wait so he's not gonna hurt me? Alright, that's... Step one to enjoying this boat ride!> She was unsure how much to trust someone that had... All of this. Scales, from what she could see, claws... It was... More than intimidating. She was still a bit shaky.

"<So, er... A demon. Like... Like from Corvus? That sorta stuff? How do you speak Kigenese?>" If he wasn't going to start swinging at her then prodding him for questions could be... Interesting. At a safe distance. Away from his claws. She gulped.

He didn't know the place, at least not by that name. Maybe Corvus was where he ultimately originated from, he wouldn't outright deny it. Without a solid answer, however, he was forced to move on. <"Nong taught me. He is Emi Maru's captain.">

"<So you don't know... What... Do you know about yourself?>" Did he not know anything about his form, or was he just acting oblivious? She hadn't the faintest, and if he kept giving her vague answers, she'd stop prodding him. All she'd really wanted was to be left alone and not reported to the captain, so that was the next order of business, if she could get it.

<"I killed many people,"> the figure admitted somberly, <"Can't count how many. Also ... killed someone ... I cared about. No more,"> he shook his head, <"I escaped. ... was ... stowaway, like you. Nong taught me to speak. Jun feeds me when there are no fish. Crew tells no one ...">

Another gulp. "<Killed... Huh.>" Haruhi had fought people, mostly bandits, maybe killed one or two of them. She hadn't thought about if she'd ever killed anyone she cared about. Maybe her father had 'died' the day she left, but... That wasn't what this guy was talking about, probably.

"<So, Nong is the captain of this here Emi Maru... And there's Jun on board. And the crew tells no one? Well, let's see, uh... I don't know your name yet. Why don't you tell me? And I'll join in on not telling anyone about you, okay? Just, uh... Just let me stay down here, and don't tell anyone, please. They'll kick me off if they find me, worse, throw me overboard. You think you can do that for me?>"

<"Didn't have a name until Nong found me,"> the figure noted, <"I am 'Canaan', now."> He took a moment to consider his fellow stowaway's plea. <"Nong is a 'merchant'. Lives by 'trading' with others. Do not steal anything. I will share food with you."> He at least seemed to be going along with Haruhi's suggestion.

"<Canaan... Check it out, I made friends with a demon~ I guess the folklore's just that... You're nothing like the Fallen, so maybe you just look like a demon. Some magic got you all messed up. I'd buy that. I've got some food on me, so you don't need to give me anything you need. We can just be quiet bunk mates for the trip. Sounds fun! Oh, and you can ask anything you want. I'm... Not very worldly, but I know some stuff.>"

She pulled a book out and hopped off the crate, hiding back behind the box. She could take some time to study up her magic while the boat crossed, and then she'd be free~ Free forever... It had been a journey, but now she was here. She just had to room with a lizard man for another week, or so.

Haruhi hadn't moved from her spot for the whole week, aside from... Well, necessities. She was cramped, she was getting hungry, but there was something more important she had to try addressing now that she'd actually seen this Nong person. There were some others there, not that she really knew what their names were. She'd only really guessed that one of them was Nong, really... Everyone had been speaking common, except for a few moments when the small... Woman? Spoke some Kigenese. It was a lovely mess of words to Haruhi, so she hadn't paid much attention to it.

What she did pay attention to, having peaked through the boxes, was Canaan... Eating the magic? It was a sight, that was for sure. And now that everyone was gone, she wanted to try it for herself. She hopped back onto her crate, eating at her last piece of bread. "<So, Canaan... Youuu can absorb magic, and stuff? 'Cause, like, I'm a mage. Not a very good one, but still. D'you wanna try with mine? I think it's the same as that, uh... What was her name, Hoshi? They said Hoshi, right? Same magic as hers. Dark magic, or whatever-- anyway! Wanna try it?>"

Pop, and the bread was gone, Haruhi sitting there staring at Canaan, who seemed... A lot more lively. If that was how to put it.

Edited October 4, 2016 by Narmaya

[-Cynthia-]

Well, at least if we run into Ursians they might be more worried about the Skotians than us, Nadya thought to try and make the best of things. "I'd prefer to have ya along Hoshi, for what my opinion is worth. I don't know a thing about dark magic and maybe that's the solution here," she said, shrugging.

[Phoenix]

Battle Preparations

The battle plan wasn't anything complex. All the fleet could really do was try to minimize the damage and pray their reinforcements were up to the challenge. Reports were flooding in form all directions. They were outnumbered five to one. All inbound reinforcements would only be able to bring that one up to a two, and they wouldn't arrive all at once. Bringing them into formation and maneuvering their allies while simultaneously relieving the survivors wasn't a job for amateurs. Unfortunately, Captain Gram considered himself a competent captain at best, not an admiral. He would have recommended someone else if not for two factors: The first was compassion, he wouldn't wish this hell on any other captain in the fleet. The second factor was Edith. The 'skotians probably weren't expecting to lose the Basilisk in this battle, even if by some miracle they were driven off. If Edith could somehow sink that ship, the hit to imperial morale would be massive and irrevocable. They might actually gain enough momentum off of that one act to ultimately win the battle.

Unsurprisingly, the situation in the air was much worse than in the water. Overall, the Ursian forces were facing five times their number, but their fliers were outnumbered ten to one, if the reports were to be believed ... and they were. If there was any good news it was that most of the wyvern riders were weighed down with passengers, marines. The pegasus knights would fly circles around them until the battle reached the docks. The marines would start dropping down and engaging the guardsmen if they got the chance, and then things would turn back in the empire's favor. Aside from Edith and her teams, the rest of the pegasus knights would be harassing the enemy and trying to slow their advance. It was just shy of a suicide mission.

They had more than just the Ursian military on their side. Some of the privateers and merchants anchored at Urquium offered to help them defend the port city against the imperial invasion fleet. It was a losing proposition, but based on the reports, they were some who were confident, others who were just plain determined, and a few who were simply hoping to cash in and slip away if things weren't going their way. Too bad for them, the imperial navy made a habit of picking off stragglers with their water dragons. Just when a captain was starting to feel he'd gotten a good lead on the enemy, the ocean turned on them.

That was it, then. They had all their people, save for the reinforcements, accounted for, including the mercenary and privateer hires. There was nothing left to do but conduct this battle as carefully and honorably as possible. "Gods be with us ..." Gram stood from his chair as the other fleet officers and captains followed suit and saluted him. They quickly began funneling out of his quarters. "And to you, Edith ..." he clasped his hands together as the last man left, "Wrath grant you power, Mercy deliver your soul, Nature fortify your body, Truth light your way."

Maas On Deck

They were all staring at her, even those who ought to be manning their posts. Edith held the reins of her pegasus in one hand, and an ancient runic lance in the other. The weapon seemed almost alive, its furious crimson glow warning off all enemies. First Officer Pender wasn't getting anywhere near Edith while she had that weapon. He knew there was no love lost between them and didn't want to take any chances with the temperamental pegasus knight.

Edith checked back over her shoulder, making sure her two squad mates and the two other teams Captain Gram had assigned to her were still in tow. The plan was simple. They would maneuver through the air battle however they could, find the Basilisk in the imperial fleet's formation, and destroy it. Edith would have the honor of sinking the battleship. Everyone else in the group was to make sure she lived long enough to do so ... or die trying.

Once she and the other twenty pegasus knights were at the center of the main deck, they began to mount up. "That's right," Edith spoke up, "look here," she held her weapon high overhead. "This is the embodiment of our victory, today! This lance was created by the gods for this very purpose! Don't ever forget what you're about to witness here!"

Staying Aboard

"That should be fine," Nong nodded his approval. "I would advise that at least one of your group's healers stay aboard Lexi's ship for the time being. They may not have any healers and with this battle about to fall into our laps, too many untreated injuries on her ship could doom us all."

Flux Eater

Haruhi was certainly enthusiastic about this. Canaan was unsure, but his instincts told him she was right. He reached out with his hand, stronger than before but still too weak for swift movements. <"If you ... want to ..."> His fingertips grew warm as his focus and some of the energy in his blood gathered there. <"... ready.">

Another Sales Pitch

Nena couldn't believe her eyes. Unarmed people, two of them, running like madmen through the market. As the guards moved to stop them, Nena stood from her chair and waved. "Come! Come, have a look at my wares, gentlemen! Other stores may be closed but Marcus' Market," she'd made that name up on the spot, "is always open for business!"

The two men stopped just shy of having to leap over or dodge the guardsmen, and jogged over to the kiosk. A few of the guards followed them over, urging them to get to safety the whole way.

"You two must be in a real hurry," Nena forced her best smile.

The two men nodded in unison, before exchanging looks with each other. The one to Nena's right agreed to be the spokesman. The other turned to address and distract the guards.

"Magic staves for healing? You have?" the man asked, in heavily accented common.

"Oh plenty," Nena's smile became more genuine. How fortuitous. "What type would you like?"

"Don't know," the man admitted with a microscopic shrug, "explain types?"

Nena's smile faltered a bit. She hated talking too much. She always winded up offending someone. She'd just have to be careful with these guys. "Well there are a few main categories. To start ..."

Herding Wyverns

Haythem frowned at Isis, who looked about as interested in moving as a rock. She met his gaze with heavy, disinterested eyes, wondering if she might be left to her rest. She was hungry but there was nothing in her size in the area other than humans ... and her urge not to chew on them was stronger than anything her stomach could bring against her for the moment. She just wanted to save her strength at this point, but Haythem gave her that look, and she knew he wanted her to work, worse yet, fly ...

<"I'm sorry,"> Haythem smiled, <"but we've got to get moving, soon. We don't want the 'skotians coming down on us.">

Isis' head perked up, though Haythem knew it wasn't because of his words. The massive wyvern looked off into the distance as the cries of the flock finally reached her. Haythem's eyes went wide when he realized what was about to happen. No time to warn the others. He covered his own ears and hunched over as Isis let out a shriek that could drive a man mad. She called out to the other wyverns again and again, her shrieks shifting into roars and back into shrieks every so often.

<"Isis would you knock it off? I'm crushing my skull here and I can still hear you loud and clear!">

Amon covered his ears as he reached Sasha, hoping Eva's scaly steed wouldn't join in ... whatever Isis was doing. "I don't know how Haythem got you to follow along, but I need you to do that again. We're getting ready to move." Talking to a winged lizard instead of their rider. This was relatively new. Like everything else Amon focused on for too long, Sasha had a strange 'glow' in Amon's mind, a brightness that he could only interpret as value. He was still getting used to mental overlay.

[Nanami Touko]

"<Really? Cool!>" Haruhi hopped off her box, sitting herself down next to the lizard man. She was still apprehensive about him, but having spent a week in the hold without him trying to do anything to her, she was starting to think he was just a scary looking softy. She could appreciate that! "<Now, let's see... Uhhhh... Right, so...>" She outstretched a hand and concentrated, closing her eyes a bit and grumbling before the oscillating sphere finally popped into her hand. She sighed, then smiled. "<Still getting the hang of it... But hey, here. You seemed to... Liven up when you absorbed that staff, so let me know if you want like, more of these. I got plenty of energy. I've just finished sitting around for a week!>" She snickered, going through her pages to make sure things were right.

----------

Sasha growled at the sight of the wyverns on the horizon, not screaming like Isis was. In fact her screaming was starting to annoy him, and as much as she was bigger than he was, he turned to her and belted off his own shriek, hoping it would quiet her just a bit. As unfortunate as that must've been for Amon's ears, that was all he was doing. He had no interest in the other wyverns aside from watching them, finally turning to try and understand what Amon had said. A curious snout poked his shoulder, low grumbles slipping out of the lizard. Eva had told him to follow Haythem before, did they want him to move again? But Eva wasn't back yet... He lowered his head, almost... Pouting? But, he flapped his wings, ready to move if he had to.

Edited October 4, 2016 by Narmaya

[Snike]

Pete decided to ignore the ongoing conversations and clambered into the driver's side of the wagon.

"Last call for wagon ride," the axeman said loudly, as he took the reins. "You're on foot otherwise."

[Nanami Touko]

"Wagon sounds good!" Eva had been about to walk, but just in case, it'd be better to stick with everyone. Leaving Thales and Angelica to their little back and forth, watching the younger guy get on Lumi's pegasus, she hopped herself onto the wagon and held a hand out for the small woman.